YBOR

Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★★

District: Pop-up

Cuban Sandwiches

Standout Dishes: Cuban Sandwich; Spicy Cuban Sandwich

Bill Radtke is deeply passionate about two things: Cuban sandwiches and helping formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate into society. Through Ybor, the Lincoln pop-up serving a Cubano that rivals any in the state, he meets both loves: helping people while serving a damn good sandwich.

Radtke developed his adoration for Cuban sandwiches while living in Tampa, Fla., near Ybor City, where the Cuban sandwich was born. The combination of Cuban bread, roasted pork, ham, pickles, and Swiss cheese spoke to his food-loving soul, and when he moved to Lincoln, he wanted to show Nebraskans just how special this sandwich can be.

There are a lot of restaurants serving Cubanos in Omaha and Lincoln, but most take creative liberties that pull so far away from the traditional offering that calling their sandwich a Cubano is downright wrong. While restaurants are allowed to have creative liberties, serving a pulled pork sandwich with ham and calling it a Cubano simply isn’t accurate.

To avoid that pitfall, Bill partnered with Kevin Shinn, the longtime chef/owner of bread&cup and now the genius behind The Portico. Between Kevin’s cooking and baking expertise and Bill’s passion and experience eating fantastic Cubanos all over Tampa and Miami, they came up with an excellent take on the sandwich.

The brilliance of the Cuban Sandwich starts with the bread, which Ybor bakes itself. This traditional Cuban bread is thin with a crispy exterior and soft, pillowy insides. That bread is brushed with lard and pressed to achieve a golden brown exterior that provides texture and great crunch, but also protects the integrity of the fluffy interior.

The second most important component is the pork, which is roasted for hours the night before service and shredded on site. It’s marinated in mojo sauce, which not only ensures it’s fork tender, but gives it a kick of citrus and garlic. The pork is joined by sweet applewood smoked ham, crunchy, tangy pickles, and melted Swiss that lends a gooey texture to ever bite. A little extra mojo sauce and creamy mayo are brushed on the top bun to complete the experience.

The layers of textures and flavors here all fit together like a puzzle crafted in sandwich heaven. And what makes it special is almost every component of the sandwich (bread, pork, pickles, mayo, mojo sauce) is created in Ybor’s kitchen, giving it that care and attention to detail that you can’t get out of a mass-produced bag or container.

And while Bill pays great respect to the traditional Cuban sandwich, he wanted to create their own spin on the classic, too. After finding a recipe for a great hot sauce and tweaking it to be his own, Bill knew he had to incorporate it into a Cubano. Keeping the essential elements (the bread, pork, and Swiss), he balanced the spice of the sauce with blackened pineapple and caramelized onions, giving the Spicy Cuban Sandwich a brilliant sweet heat.

Ybor’s main focus is the sandwiches themselves, but the pop-ups will usually feature one or two side dishes, such as plantain chips or picadillos. If the Elote is on the menu, do not hesitate to order it. The kernels of corn are fresh, popping with sweetness. They’re joined by creamy mayo and cotija cheese, as well as tangy pickled onions.

Ybor conducts pop-ups about once a week, usually in Lincoln. But it also ventures occasionally into Omaha for events such as Junkstock, so be sure to follow Ybor on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on where these guys will be next.

For as great as the food is at Ybor, the mission behind it is even better. Many people who go to prison struggle to get back into society. They’re labeled as felons and may have a hard time getting jobs and loans, and some fall into the same habits that landed them in hot water in the first place.

That’s where Ybor comes in. It provides professional development and stability coaching through a 12-month workforce program that helps people redirect their lives and become contributing members of the community.

Ybor also helps these people feel a value other aspects of society may not offer them. “Chef” is typically a revered kitchen term, reserved only for the leader of the restaurant or its second in command. But everyone in the Ybor kitchen is referred to as “chef”, regardless of experience, to help them feel value and take ownership of their role.

Ybor is making a massive impact as a pop-up, but that would be amplified if it could achieve its goal of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Lincoln. To reach that aspiration, the nonprofit accepts donations to make an even greater impact on the community.

If all Ybor did was serve an incredible Cuban sandwich, it would be worth driving to Lincoln to experience (I should know; I’ve done it!). But the heart behind this pop-up is as inspiring as its food is delicious, and that combination makes this pop-up (for now) an absolute must-experience.